April 29, 2013
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — The University of Notre Dame women’s golf team, winners of the 2013 BIG EAST Championship, will play in its sixth consecutive NCAA regional championship when the Irish travel to the NCAA East Regional on May 9-11 at Auburn University Club (Auburn, Ala.). The 72-team NCAA tournament field was announced on Monday evening (April 29).
The Irish secured its automatic bid into the tournament after winning the program’s fifth BIG EAST Conference title on April 23 at the Reunion Resort and Golf Club in Orlando, Fla.
Notre Dame, ranked No. 26 by Golfstat, joins the field of 24 teams as a No. 9 seed in the region. The East region is led by top-seeded University of Alabama (No. 2 Golfstat) and a total of eight top-25 ranked squads. Nine of the nation’s top-25 golfers represent the East region including No. 15 Lindsey Weaver. Overall, The Irish hold a 16-5 record this season against the teams they have already competed against in the East. Notre Dame has additionally gathered victories over the teams that rank in between them, which include No. 8 Texas (1-0-0) and No. 10 Northwestern (2-1-0).
The Fighting Irish women’s golf team has now advanced to the NCAA Regional on nine occasions since the program inception in 1988. Under the direction of head coach Susan Holt, the invitation marks the sixth-straight team appearance and the seventh-straight year at least one Irish golfer has participated in the NCAA Regional.
“I have seen this course in the past during the late `90s and early 2000s while I was the coach at South Florida,” says Irish head coach Susan Holt. “I believe this is a very good course, allowing us to be able to manage teams in this field. This is without a doubt a tough field and perhaps the toughest of the three regions. I feel good about how we have been playing as of late and the opportunity to get through this region and onto the championship. Our confidence is very high right now and I like our chances. Every team starts at zero and we just have to go out there and compete.”
Should Notre Dame post a top-eight finish in its region as a team, the Irish will advance to the NCAA Championship, May 21-24, in Athens, Ga. at the University of Georgia Golf Course. Follow UND.com for full coverage surrounding the road to the NCAA Championship.
East Regional (three regions, 72 total teams)
*Ordered by seeding, parenthesis indicate Golfstat rankings
1. Alabama (No. 2)
2. Arkansas (No. 5)
3. UCLA (No. 8)
4. North Carolina (No. 11)
5. Virginia (No. 12)
6. Oklahoma State (No. 18)
7. Tulane (No. 20)
8. Texas (No. 23)
9. Notre Dame (No. 26)
10. Northwestern (No. 29)
11. Tennessee (No. 31)
12. Kentucky (No. 35)
13. Texas State (No. 38)
14. Auburn (No. 42)
15. Central Florida (No. 44)
16. Penn State (No. 49)
17. East Carolina (No. 50)
18. Florida International (No. 53)
19. Mississippi (No. 55)
20. East Tennessee State (No. 59)
21. Tennessee- Chattanooga (No. 72)
22. James Madison (No. 102
23. Eastern Kentucky (No. 177)
24. Alabama State (No. 225)
Individuals:
Natalie Wille, Augusta State
Kelly Shon, Princeton
Casey Kennedy, Augusta State
Isabel Southard, Boston College
Shu-Yin Liu, Tulsa
Kristina Merkle, Tulsa
–ND–